2004 Mazda 3 - Under car damage

[GoldDot40]

What brand of oil filter tears like that?

That vehicle uses a cartridge style filter.

 

[ecotourist]

I

Yesterday, after lunch, a driver of a 2004 Mazda 3 2.3 originally pulled up on what was supposedly a radiator change. But when my boss showed me what he saw, it took out more than just a radiator.

When I examined the aftermath, not only the radiator was destroyed, the A/C condenser, engine oil pan, and oil filter assembly were obliterated. The cause of the damage was a lane divider lodged underneath the car, likely when the driver made a high-speed lane change too late before hitting one of the lane dividers.

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever encountered so much damage from underneath the car before the repair even started? And believe me, it drove up to our parking lot, no tow truck whatsoever!

View attachment 55239View attachment 55240

I'll bet there was a BANG.

 

[Timmastertech]

I fixed an 07 Mazda 3 with damage like that. Customer turned the claim into insurance obviously. The insurance company gave us authorization to make the car runnable, which in our case was an oil pan and a radiator. The insurance wanted to know if there was any other damage to the engine before they committed to fixing the a/c and other stuff (mine also had a smashed compressor). Mine survived but mine was shut off after impact.

 

[PimTac]

I would just not take that job. They may not want to pay what it costs when you figure out all the hidden damage. I'd just tell them its totaled.

Too much headache.

Yep and we haven’t even started to discuss possible damage to the car structure. There has to be some.